Social Justice

[Big_Dummy]

What is Social Justice?

Is it taking from the rich to give to the poor?

How would you define Social Justice?

What are the ten rules of Social Justice?

 

[St_Francis]

The concept of social justice is a Catholic one, stemming from St Thomas Aquinas’s ideas about distributive justice.

The term has been co-opted by the left to mean whatever they want, to the point that access to abortion is considered part of social justice.

Distributive justice is related to the fact that God gave the world to humanity, and people shouldn’t hoard part of it to the detriment of others.

The social encyclicals by the Popes go into much more detail, but one aspect of what they advocate is cooperation between members of groups which are currently seen as enemies, such as labor and management.

In reality, what each of us should be doing is to see what we can do for others around us. The rich should not just keep acquiring things and money and whathaveyou, but the government’s taking money from the haves to give to the have-nots is not the whole of social justice. The government’s ensuring that the poor are cared for is a part, and that can take redistribution, but there is so much more to social justice, and if we think the government is taking care of it all, we can overlook needs around us that we could be doing something about.

 

[Philotheatoo]

usccb.org/search.cfm?num=10&sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&q=ten+catholic+social+teaching&start=0&btnG=++search++&start=0&search=ten+building+blocks+social+teaching&site=newusccb&islibrarysearch=0&areasofwork=&author=&doctitle=&doctype=&client=default_frontend&site=newusccb&as_filetype=

If you follow the link and then click on the PDF for the title, Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social … on page 17 you will find the first of the ten Catholic teachings on social justice. :Sadly, you will find few Catholics who know anything about these, which are the very foundation of Catholic teaching.

You will find it has little to do with money and a lot to do with how we treat each other.

 

[St_Francis]

Here’s a more direct link.

Philotheatoo, the way to make the link like that is to select the words, then hit that thingie above the text box that looks like a globe with an infinity sign under it. It’s usually right under the smilie face… anyway, that will put up a box and you can just paste the link url into it and click OK. It doesn’t work to just put the htm mark up language around it.

 

[ManOnFire]

What is Social Justice?

Is it taking from the rich to give to the poor?

How would you define Social Justice?

What are the ten rules of Social Justice?

See This Rock Magazine, May/June 2011, p. 27

 

[Allegra]

In my experience, social justice is when you lose a whole day of work in order to attend a meeting where you find out that if you’re white, you’ve been oppressing people your whole life, by virtue of the fact that you exist. You sit and think, “I’ve always tried my best to avoid oppressing people,” but you never say so outloud because despite the fact that the presenter started off insisting that everyone engage in honest dialogue, if you disagree with her, you will totally be labeled a racist. If you are a minority you find out that despite how happy and successful you currently are, you’d be much better off if it wasn’t for the white people who have been oppressing you behind your back. (Often without even realizing it!) You sit and think to yourself that your coworkers have always seemed really nice to you and it’s hard to imagine that they’ve been secretly plotting your failure so they can rise to power on your back, but you don’t want to say anything because disagreeing will only cause the meeting to go into your lunch hour. After the presenter leaves, honest dialogue begins on what a stupid waste of a day it all was. Social Justice seems to make everybody involved extremely uncomfortable and serves no discernable purpose except to create a temporarily awkward workplace where everyone is on the look out for oppression that was never present in the first place.

 

[Philotheatoo]

:blushing:Thank you, StFrancis!

 

[Jonatello]

What is Social Justice?

Wikipedia: the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society

Dictionary.com: the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society

CatholicCulture.org: The virtue that inclines one to co-operate with others in order to help make the institutions of society better serve the common good.

Is it taking from the rich to give to the poor?

I strongly believe the state of social justice can often be improved by this, if done in a morally just manner which doesn’t just turn the tables and force the rich to switch positions with the poor.

How would you define Social Justice?

Depending on context, either the goal or pursuit of respected rights and met needs of everyone within a community/society.

What are the ten rules of Social Justice?

Lol not sure. Are you hinting at the 10 Commandments? Or maybe some other list? Or do you just feel like every good concept should have a good 10-point list lol

 

[Philotheatoo]

StFrancis’ reply has a link to the list the OP is asking about.

 

[cmforte]

In my experience, social justice is when you lose a whole day of work in order to attend a meeting where you find out that if you’re white, you’ve been oppressing people your whole life, by virtue of the fact that you exist. You sit and think, “I’ve always tried my best to avoid oppressing people,” but you never say so outloud because despite the fact that the presenter started off insisting that everyone engage in honest dialogue, if you disagree with her, you will totally be labeled a racist. If you are a minority you find out that despite how happy and successful you currently are, you’d be much better off if it wasn’t for the white people who have been oppressing you behind your back. (Often without even realizing it!) You sit and think to yourself that your coworkers have always seemed really nice to you and it’s hard to imagine that they’ve been secretly plotting your failure so they can rise to power on your back, but you don’t want to say anything because disagreeing will only cause the meeting to go into your lunch hour. After the presenter leaves, honest dialogue begins on what a stupid waste of a day it all was. Social Justice seems to make everybody involved extremely uncomfortable and serves no discernable purpose except to create a temporarily awkward workplace where everyone is on the look out for oppression that was never present in the first place.

I have noticed this, too. In other contexts (like the high school where I was required to attend a class teaching racial tolerance because, as a white kid coming from a less racially diverse school, I was just assumed to be racist.Though, just to balance out the discussion, other new kids of other races were required to attend, but the implication was still clear: Coming from less racially diverse schools, we all must be racially intolerant, but, of course, me more so.)

-Chris

 

[Philotheatoo]

Chris, I am sure no insult was implied. We all know that we are ALL biased in one way or another. More so for white people in the U.S. of my generation; due to the imprint society itself leaves on us. I commend you if you have no imprints such as those I am referring to. The racial tolerance ‘classes’ serve as a reminder to us to readjust our thinking; not to point fingers. God bless you.

 

[MrJaundicedEye]

In my experience, social justice is when you lose a whole day of work in order to attend a meeting where you find out that if you’re white, you’ve been oppressing people your whole life, by virtue of the fact that you exist. You sit and think, “I’ve always tried my best to avoid oppressing people,” but you never say so outloud because despite the fact that the presenter started off insisting that everyone engage in honest dialogue, if you disagree with her, you will totally be labeled a racist. If you are a minority you find out that despite how happy and successful you currently are, you’d be much better off if it wasn’t for the white people who have been oppressing you behind your back. (Often without even realizing it!) You sit and think to yourself that your coworkers have always seemed really nice to you and it’s hard to imagine that they’ve been secretly plotting your failure so they can rise to power on your back, but you don’t want to say anything because disagreeing will only cause the meeting to go into your lunch hour. After the presenter leaves, honest dialogue begins on what a stupid waste of a day it all was. Social Justice seems to make everybody involved extremely uncomfortable and serves no discernable purpose except to create a temporarily awkward workplace where everyone is on the look out for oppression that was never present in the first place.

APPLAUSE.

Well done.